Birds to See in Lancashire in March
135 species matching this filter.
Lancashire offers a rich diversity of birdlife in March, with around 135 species recorded across its varied landscapes of estuaries, moorlands, farmland, and wetlands. As winter transitions into spring, the county's coastline and inland waterways attract species such as Common Shelduck, Common Merganser, and Northern Lapwing, while Barn Owls and Eurasian Woodcock can be spotted across quieter rural areas. The Ribble Estuary and Morecambe Bay remain key hotspots, drawing waders like Greenshank alongside resident favourites such as Great Tit and Magpie.
Resident
(118)
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
A rare but year-round presence on the Ribble Estuary and Morecambe Bay mudflats. Numbers peak during autumn passage and winter.
Year-round
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
A rare year-round resident, hunting over farmland and rough grassland. Often spotted at dusk along quiet Lancashire lanes.
Year-round
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
A rare resident, with feral birds present year-round. Small numbers frequent the Ribble Estuary and surrounding coastal grasslands.
May–Mar
Bearded Tit
Panurus biarmicusLC
A rare resident of Lancashire's reedbeds, with Leighton Moss RSPB reserve being the key stronghold. Listen for distinctive pinging calls in the reeds.
Year-round
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Uncommon but present year-round, favouring wet grasslands and estuarine pools at sites like Martin Mere and the Ribble.
Year-round
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
A common and abundant resident found in virtually every Lancashire habitat from town gardens to woodland. Continental migrants boost numbers in autumn.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
An uncommon year-round resident of woodland and mature gardens. Some overwinter, supplemented by continental birds visiting berry-laden hedgerows.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
A common garden and woodland resident throughout the year. A familiar visitor to Lancashire bird feeders, especially in winter.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
An uncommon year-round resident, often found in hedgerows and woodland edges. Shy and easily overlooked despite the male's striking pink breast.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
A common resident across farmland, moorland edges, and woodland. Frequently seen soaring over the Bowland hills and rural lanes.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
A common resident found year-round on Lancashire's lakes, reservoirs, parks and river margins. Breeds readily across the county.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
A common and widespread resident seen across farmland, towns and moorland edges. One of Lancashire's most adaptable and conspicuous birds.
Year-round
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibisLC
A rare but increasingly recorded resident, reflecting a northward range expansion. Typically associates with grazing livestock on lowland pastures.
Year-round
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cettiLC
An uncommon but increasing year-round resident of dense reedbed and waterside scrub. Its explosive song rings out at sites like Leighton Moss.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common resident found year-round in woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens across Lancashire. One of the most familiar finches in the county.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A common resident heard singing its repetitive two-note song in woodland and scrub. Increasingly overwinters in Lancashire's milder lowland areas.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
A common resident of coniferous and mixed woodland, also visiting garden feeders regularly. Often found alongside Blue and Great Tits.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Present year-round but most numerous in winter, frequenting playing fields, reservoirs, and the coast alongside other gull species.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon but delightful resident along clean rivers and streams. Often glimpsed as a flash of blue over water.
Year-round
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
An uncommon resident breeding along upland rivers in the Forest of Bowland, moving to lowland lakes and reservoirs in winter.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
A common resident of farmland, woodland edges, and hedgerows across Lancashire, sustained by regular releases for shooting.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
An uncommon resident that has spread across Lancashire in recent decades, now seen over uplands, coasts and increasingly in lowland areas.
Year-round
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
A rare resident, occasionally seen in birch and alder woodland across the county. Numbers may fluctuate with winter influxes from the Continent.
Year-round
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Rare but recorded year-round, sometimes seen in small rafts offshore in Liverpool Bay and off the Fylde coast.
Year-round
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
A striking resident of Lancashire's estuaries, commonly seen on the Ribble and Morecambe Bay mudflats throughout the year.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of Lancashire's bogs, marshes and wet meadows. Numbers increase in winter with arrivals from the continent.
Year-round
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common resident forming spectacular winter murmurations, notably over the piers at Blackpool and reedbeds at Leighton Moss.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
A common and conspicuous resident on lakes, reservoirs and park ponds throughout the county. Often gathers in large winter flocks.
Year-round
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
A rare and declining resident of Lancashire's arable farmland, now largely restricted to scattered lowland sites. Severely reduced from its former range.
Nov–Jul
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Common year-round, breeding on upland moors in the east and wintering in large flocks on the Ribble Estuary and Morecambe Bay.
Year-round
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A rare but charismatic resident of fast-flowing streams in the Bowland fells and Pennine valleys, bobbing on rocks in clear upland waters.
Dec–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
An uncommon resident found year-round on estuarine mudflats, especially Morecambe Bay and the Ribble, with winter flocks.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common year-round resident of hedgerows, gardens and scrubby undergrowth. Shuffles quietly along the ground but sings boldly from cover.
Year-round
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
A rare resident along the Lancashire coast, occasionally seen off Morecambe Bay. Numbers have declined significantly in recent decades.
Year-round
Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
A secretive year-round resident of reedbeds at sites like Leighton Moss. Its booming call in spring is a highlight of Lancashire birding.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A common resident in towns, villages and farmyards across Lancashire. Its monotonous three-note call is a familiar suburban sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident of mature broadleaved and mixed woodland. Often detected by its harsh, screeching call in autumn.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland, found at sites across Lancashire. Its loud call and tree-climbing habit make it distinctive.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
A noisy, conspicuous resident of Lancashire's coasts and increasingly inland fields, breeding on farmland and estuarine shingle.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident favouring conifer plantations and alder stands. Often visits garden nyjer feeders in winter when numbers are boosted by migrants.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
An uncommon resident of open farmland and moorland edges, singing in hovering flight over Lancashire's fields. Numbers have declined significantly.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon resident found around farmyards and rural hedgerows. Has declined nationally but persists in scattered Lancashire colonies.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Common year-round, with large winter flocks gathering on the Ribble Estuary and Martin Mere. Numbers peak with continental arrivals.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A secretive resident of damp woodland, most often seen during roding display flights at dusk over Bowland's woods in spring.
Nov–May
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A common year-round resident found in almost every habitat, from garden hedgerows to upland cloughs. Remarkably loud for its tiny size.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common resident, frequently visiting garden feeders and foraging on teasel and thistle heads across Lancashire's parks and farmland year-round.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A rare resident of parkland and woodland edges, identified by its loud laughing call. Scarce in northern Lancashire.
Jan–Nov
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common and conspicuous resident along the coast, in towns, and at landfill sites. Numbers have declined but it remains widespread.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A common and much-loved year-round resident of Lancashire's gardens, woodlands and hedgerows. One of the first birds to sing at dawn.
Year-round
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
A common resident on freshwater lakes and reservoirs, often seen at sites like Brockholes and Martin Mere year-round.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
A common resident of coniferous and mixed woodland year-round. Britain's smallest bird, often heard giving its thin, high-pitched call in treetops.
Year-round
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
An uncommon resident breeding on Bowland's moorland tops. Large winter flocks gather on coastal fields and the Ribble marshes.
Jul–May
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Present year-round along the coast and at larger inland water bodies. Numbers increase in winter, often loafing on estuarine mudflats.
Year-round
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common year-round resident found along rivers, reservoirs, and the coast. Often seen perched with wings outstretched to dry.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
An elegant year-round resident of larger lakes and reservoirs. Its elaborate courtship display can be seen from early spring.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
An uncommon but widespread resident of mature woodland and parks. Its drumming is a familiar spring sound in Lancashire's wooded valleys.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
A common and familiar garden resident throughout Lancashire year-round, readily visiting feeders. Its bold 'teacher-teacher' song is heard from January.
Year-round
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, increasingly seen at wetland sites such as Leighton Moss and the Ribble Estuary marshes.
Year-round
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
A rare but regular visitor to Lancashire's freshwater margins, most often seen on autumn passage at pools and reservoir edges.
Mar–Dec
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common resident found in gardens, hedgerows and parks throughout Lancashire, though numbers have declined in recent years due to disease.
Year-round
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Present year-round but uncommon, favouring estuarine mudflats at Morecambe Bay and the Ribble, with numbers peaking on autumn passage.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
A common year-round resident, easily seen along rivers, canals, and wetlands. Often stands motionless at the water's edge.
Year-round
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining resident of farmland, now scarce across Lancashire. Favours arable fields with hedgerow margins for nesting.
Sep–Jun
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
A rare but regular visitor to Lancashire's estuaries, favouring the Ribble and Morecambe Bay mudflats outside the summer months.
Aug–May
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon resident found along Lancashire's streams and rivers year-round, its bright yellow underparts and wagging tail distinctive on waterside rocks.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
A common resident found on reservoirs, farmland, and parks throughout Lancashire, with feral populations now well established.
Year-round
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
A rare resident of upland moors in summer; winters on lowland mosses and marshes. A conservation priority in the Bowland Fells.
Oct–Jun
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common year-round resident closely tied to human habitation, nesting under eaves and in hedges across Lancashire's towns and villages.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
A common and sociable resident, nesting in church towers, old buildings and tree cavities across Lancashire's towns and countryside.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
A common resident hovering over roadside verges, farmland, and moorland edges throughout the county year-round.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
A common year-round resident, frequently seen at landfill sites, coastal areas, and urban centres across Lancashire.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident favouring gorse-covered hillsides, farmland hedgerows and coastal scrub. Numbers have declined significantly in recent decades.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
A common resident found year-round along estuaries, marshes and waterways. Numbers have surged since colonising Lancashire in the early 2000s.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
A shy resident of sheltered ponds, canals, and slow-moving waterways. More easily heard than seen, with its distinctive trilling call.
Year-round
Little Owl
Athene noctuaLC
A rare resident of farmland and parkland, sometimes heard calling at dusk. Declining across much of northern England.
Year-round
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
A common resident easily recognised by its long tail, often seen in noisy family flocks moving through Lancashire's hedgerows and woodland edges.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
A common and conspicuous resident of gardens, parks and farmland throughout Lancashire. Bold and unmistakable with its pied plumage.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
An abundant and familiar resident found on virtually any waterbody, from urban park lakes to rural reservoirs and estuarine marshes.
Year-round
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
A rare resident of wooded lakes and rivers, with scattered sightings across Lancashire from feral populations. Easily overlooked.
Nov–Aug
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland, found at scattered sites across Lancashire. Declining nationally and easily confused with Willow Tit.
Year-round
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
A common resident of Lancashire's moorlands and rough pastures year-round, its thin call a familiar sound on the Pennine uplands and Bowland fells.
Year-round
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
An uncommon resident of parks, open woodland and farmland, often singing from treetops in early spring. Forms roaming flocks in late summer.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
A common resident of ponds, canals and waterways throughout Lancashire. Breeds widely and is easily spotted in parks and gardens.
Year-round
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
A familiar year-round resident gracing Lancashire's canals, lakes and rivers. Breeds on many urban and rural waterways across the county.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
A common year-round resident of farmland and wetlands, though breeding numbers have declined sharply across the county.
Year-round
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
An uncommon but elegant resident, favouring the Ribble Estuary and Martin Mere. Winter numbers swell with continental arrivals.
Year-round
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
A common resident found on shallow lakes and marshes, with numbers peaking in winter. Martin Mere and the Ribble wetlands are key sites.
Year-round
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, increasingly nesting on urban buildings and church towers as well as coastal cliffs.
Year-round
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Large skeins arrive from Iceland in autumn, wintering on farmland around the Fylde and Ribble marshes in spectacular numbers.
Year-round
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
An uncommon resident on Lancashire's lakes and reservoirs. Numbers are declining nationally, making local sightings increasingly notable.
Year-round
Red Grouse
Lagopus lagopus scoticaLC
A scarce resident of the Bowland and Pennine moorlands, favouring heather-clad uplands where it remains a prized gamebird.
Mar–Dec
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Rare but recorded year-round, with flocks sometimes gathering on Morecambe Bay's vast mudflats during winter months.
Year-round
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
A rare resident of coastal waters, occasionally seen fishing in the estuaries and sheltered bays around Morecambe.
Year-round
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufaNT
A rare introduced resident found on lowland farmland. Less established here than in southern England, with scattered records year-round.
Year-round
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
A rare resident seen mainly in winter and early spring off the coast, particularly in Morecambe Bay. Largely absent in midsummer.
Sep–May
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
A year-round resident found in good numbers on the Ribble Estuary and Morecambe Bay saltmarshes, giving its loud piping alarm call.
Year-round
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
A common resident of reedbeds, marshes and damp farmland. Readily found at wetland sites such as Leighton Moss and Martin Mere year-round.
Year-round
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
A rare year-round resident, nesting on shingle beaches along the Fylde coast and feeding on Lancashire's estuarine mudflats.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Abundant year-round in Lancashire's towns and cities as feral pigeons, with some wilder birds along the Fylde coast cliffs.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, nesting colonially in tall trees near farmland. Rookeries are scattered across Lancashire's agricultural lowlands.
Year-round
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Alexandrinus krameriLC
A rare resident, part of a slowly expanding feral population. Occasionally reported in parks and suburban areas.
Year-round
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
An uncommon but regular visitor to rocky shores and jetties, present mostly outside summer, feeding among seaweed-covered stones.
Aug–May
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
An uncommon year-round presence on Lancashire's wetlands and coastal marshes, often seen at sites like Martin Mere and the Ribble Estuary.
Year-round
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
A rare but regular presence on Lancashire's sandy beaches, especially along the Fylde coast. Runs energetically at the tide line.
Year-round
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A common year-round resident of gardens, hedgerows and woodland. Its rich, repeated song phrases are a familiar sound from early spring.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
A resident raptor found in woodlands, parks, and increasingly suburban gardens. Often seen dashing low along hedgerows hunting small birds.
Year-round
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
A rare visitor to Lancashire's estuaries and coastal pools, most likely on the Ribble. Seen in most months except midsummer.
Jul–May
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
An uncommon but widespread resident, nesting in tree holes on farmland and parkland. Often overlooked among larger Woodpigeon flocks.
Year-round
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
An uncommon resident of gorse-clad moorland edges and coastal scrub. Often perches prominently, flicking its tail and giving a sharp call.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
An uncommon resident of mature woodland and parkland. More often heard than seen, its hooting call carries through Lancashire's woods after dark.
Year-round
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, spiralling up tree trunks in mature woodland and parkland. Easily overlooked due to its cryptic plumage.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
A common resident on lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits throughout the county. Breeds widely and numbers increase in winter.
Year-round
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
A secretive year-round resident of Lancashire's reedbeds and marshy ditches. More often heard squealing than seen.
Year-round
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
An uncommon resident found year-round over reedbeds and marshes, notably at Leighton Moss and the Ribble wetlands.
Year-round
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Present year-round but most conspicuous in winter on wetlands such as Martin Mere. Numbers bolstered by Icelandic migrants from October.
Year-round
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
An abundant year-round resident found in gardens, parks, and farmland across Lancashire. Its cooing song is one of the county's most familiar sounds.
Year-round
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare but year-round visitor, most often picked out among large gull flocks at landfill sites, reservoirs, and along the Ribble Estuary.
Year-round
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
An uncommon and declining resident of farmland hedgerows. More often heard singing its distinctive song from exposed perches in rural east Lancashire.
Year-round
Breeding
(6)
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
An uncommon breeder at coastal wetlands, with the Ribble Estuary marshes a key site. Present from February to October.
Feb–Oct
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
A rare summer visitor breeding on Lancashire's shallow wetlands from March to September. One of the UK's scarcest breeding ducks.
Mar–Sep
Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubiusLC
A rare summer breeder favouring gravel pits and reservoir margins. Arrives in March and departs by September.
Mar–Sep
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensisLC
A rare breeding bird on Lancashire's lakes, now extremely scarce due to the national eradication programme targeting this non-native species.
Nov–Jul
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
An uncommon summer breeder arriving from March, nesting colonially in sandy riverbanks along the Ribble and Lune valleys.
Mar–Sep
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
A rare breeder on upland pastures and moorland edges from March to October. Often pauses on drystone walls, flashing its white rump.
Mar–Oct
Non-breeding
(9)
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A rare winter visitor from Scandinavia, occasionally joining Chaffinch flocks in beech woodland and at garden feeders from October to March.
Oct–Mar
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
An uncommon winter visitor arriving in flocks from October, feeding on berries and in open fields across Lancashire's farmland.
Oct–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
An uncommon winter visitor to Lancashire's reservoirs and lakes from October to April, the males showing a distinctive white face patch.
Oct–Apr
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
A rare winter visitor to Lancashire's coastal marshes and wetlands, occasionally joining flocks of Pink-footed Geese between December and March.
Dec–Mar
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor, arriving from August and wintering on coastal marshes and open moorland. Dashing and compact in flight.
Aug–Mar
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
An uncommon winter visitor from Scandinavia, foraging in hedgerows and on berry-laden trees across Lancashire from October to April.
Oct–Apr
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to Lancashire's rocky coastline and saltmarshes, mainly from autumn through winter with occasional spring records.
Oct–May
Tundra Swan
Cygnus columbianusLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally found on flooded fields and wetlands such as Martin Mere between November and March.
Nov–Mar
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
A rare winter visitor, small flocks gather on the Fylde coast and Morecambe Bay saltmarshes from November to March. A declining species nationally.
Nov–Mar
Passage
(2)
Red-necked Grebe
Podiceps grisegenaLC
A rare spring passage visitor in March and April, occasionally seen offshore or on larger reservoirs. Always a notable county record.
Mar–Apr
Tundra Bean Goose
Anser serrirostrisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded on Lancashire's wetlands in January and March among other wintering goose flocks.
Jan–Mar